Japanese Film Festival 2019 in India hosted by the Japan Foundation, New Delhi, in partnership with PVR Cinemas, and powered by ENEOS, opened with the screening of “Weathering with You” at PVR Select CITYWALK, New Delhi. The movie will be released pan-India across nearly 25 cities. The highly anticipated and acclaimed anime film is scheduled for a nationwide release on 11 October 2019 by VKAAO- India’s first theatre-on-demand platform backed by BookMyShow and PVR Pictures.

The Opening Ceremony of the Festival in Delhi was attended by the widely celebrated director of Weathering with You Makoto Shinkai. The ceremony witnessed the presence of Japanese bureaucrats, industry stalwarts, film critics, and members of the Japan Foundation. The event was graced by Japan Embassy Ambassador Extraordinary His Excellency Kenji Hiramatsu and Plenipotentiary and Japan Foundation New Delhi director-general Kaoru Miyamoto.

The evening marked the first-ever India Premiere of a Japanese film with the screening of Weathering with You, which has become a global phenomenon since its release in Japan in July 2019. The film is Japan’s Official entry to the Academy Awards 2020, becoming the first anime film to be submitted by Japan for the Oscars in over 20 years.

Marking the occasion, Makoto Shinkai, Japanese filmmaker said, “I am very excited to be here in India for the premiere of Weathering With You. The enthusiasm and response have been overwhelming so far. Anime is a popular genre in Japan and it makes me so happy to see a similar popularity in India too. I hope the audience will love my film. I would like to thank Japan Foundation, PVR Cinemas and VKAAO for making this happen. I wish all the luck for a successful Japanese Film Festival 2019.”

PVR CEO Cinemas Gautam Dutta said, “Quality, diversity and expansion have always been the three focus areas for us. Being a part of the entertainment industry, it is important to explore and strive to offer enhanced experiences. With an increase in exposure to global content, there is a significant surge in demand for international projects across markets. The strategy is to empower people with quality choices and cater to a wider set of audience.”

Commenting on the festival, he said, “We congratulate the Japan Embassy and the Japan Foundation on the opening of the third edition of the Festival. The response so far has been overwhelming so we are very positive about the success of the Festival.”

The six-month-long touring Festival will showcase several popular titles like Dance with Me, Lu over the Wall, Shoplifters, Your Name, Perfect World, Bento Harassment, Children of the sea, Kingdom, My Dad is a Heel Wrestler! Tokyo Ghoul, The Fable etc. Starting in Delhi and Gurugram, today; the Japanese Film Festival will travel to five cities of India, namely Mumbai, Kolkata, Guwahati, Bengaluru, and Chennai. The films selected will be screened in Japanese with English subtitles for the viewer’s convenience.